Long Time Partnerships
Rotary Club of Tampa has a long term commitment to the sustained success of three focus organizations. These three partnerships allow us to invest in both local and international efforts that reflect the club's values, local history, and mission.
As one of the original funding partners of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay back in 1926, we are proud to still support an organization providing safe environments for youth between the ages of 5-18 years during out of school time. This alternative to being on the streets or home alone presents opportunities for students to build new skills for personal, social and academic accomplishments.
Each year, the Rotary Club of Tampa awards several high school graduates nominated from the Boys & Girls Clubs one to four year scholarships to continue their education in college.
In addition, club members engage with students on various projects, creating mentoring opportunities. For example, in 2018 we partnered on a learning lab at one of the newest Club locations, significantly investing in technology and volunteering time with students to make the most of this enrichment resource.
Our partnership with the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation allows us to serve the international community in tandem with one of Tampa's cornerstones of industry. The foundation's mission is to provide a significant humanitarian impact to communities in the Dominican Republic resulting in a better quality of life to those who experience a lack of education, poor access to health care and nutrition and who have little or no sustainable employment. We are proud to support this mission with financial and volunteer efforts.
One of Rotary International's areas of focus is access to clean water, and our water filtration projects and other global partnerships are a way for our members to connect hands-on with those in need across the world. Most recently, in 2015 we sent a cohort of club members to the Dominican Republic to build and install water filtration systems.
Our club, and many others throughout Florida, are committed to the long term success of this barrier-free camp facility, developed in 1991 as a location for groups of children and adults with physical challenges to enjoy a camping experience. The camp is unique by offering special needs user groups the ability to rent the entire 21-acre facility, allowing them to tailor each camp to suit the specific needs of the children and adults they serve.
The Rotary Club of Tampa has provided significant support to the camp over the years, including board member representation, one day building and clean up projects, and annual funding of new programs. In 2018, we funded new ADA compliant basketball courts at the camp that offer athletes of all abilities access to the game.
